Tobe's Writing Practice
by Kelly Masbolle
Summary: When Kel goes to Fort Steadfast for Raoul and Buri's Wedding she leaves Tobe some homework. What she doesn't expect is this crazy story of Tobe's attempts to do it...


**Tobe's Writing Practice**

O-O-O-O-O

Kel left some work for Tobe to do whilst she was at Buri and Raoul's wedding. What she doesn't expect is Tobe's chaos.

Tobe grimaced as Kel walked back into headquarters. Quickly, he ducked down under the nearest table, behind a scribe, Joella. Behind Kel walked Neal, who sighed at being back at New Hope. His hair was matted to his forehead from exhaustion.

Kel turned to Neal who had trailed her in. "You can head back over to the infirmary - I have no idea why you followed."

Neal nodded confused, "I have no idea either. See you later mother." He walked back out the door.

Kel glanced around the room and said hello to most of the clerks, also she received a list of going ons. Vaguely she glanced over them before asking Joella, "Where's Tobe? He said he'd be here to meet me."

Joella jumped as Tobe poked her in the back - a warning to keep quiet. She stammered out quickly, "I don't know, 'milady." Her head quickly dropped and she was suddenly engrossed in her work.

Kel shrugged and headed down the hall in headquarters to her room. Her door opened with a click and she opened the curtains and windows, letting in sunlight and fresh air. She dropped her gear on the floor, placed the list of events on her desk and collapsed on her bed.

Tobe, who had followed her the thump of Kel on her bed and poked his head round the door, seeing Kel with her eyes closed on the bed. Slowly, he snuck into the room - checking if she was asleep.

He was leaning over her face when her eyes snapped open and she grabbed his arm.

Sitting up, she had a rosy smile on her face as she asked, "How did the writing practise go while I was gone?" Tobe wriggled, trying to get out of her grip. She laughed. "Nu-uh Tobe, I need to see the writing."

Tobe looked at the ground, getting redder by the second. "Um, well, I kinda..."

"You kinda what?" Kel asked.

"leftitinthestablesandhoshietit," he blurted. Kel tilted her head. "Well," he said, "It all started when..."

O-O-O-O-O

Tobe sat at a desk in the clerks office - stuck in the corner, attempting not to flick ink on the table as he spun his quill between his fingers. Next to him, another clerk scratched away quickly, writing out next week's chores. Tobe leant over slowly trying to see what he had to do.

Gradually, he came closer - but could barely read the writing.

His neck strained out slowly - closer and closer...

His chair tipped over, and Tobe flew off the chair bumping the scribe - ink flew everywhere as the two collapsed on the ground in a mess of clothes, chairs, ink and parchment. Tobe just laid there scared of what the scribes were going to say.

Someone grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him off the scribe next to him. "I hope it's Mick, I hope it's Mick..." he muttered, wishing for the kindly head scribe, eyes firmly shut. Gradually he opened one eye to see Sir Merric staring back at him. Merric slowly placed him back down on the ground and looked at him sternly.

Quickly, for the next ten minutes, Tobe cleaned up the mess that he had made in the room - and then headed to go outside. Again Merric grabbed the back of Tobe's shirt which was now white with big blue-black splodges of ink.

"Tobe," Merric said sternly, "That sort of behaviour is silly and immature. If I wasn't in a good mood I'd put you in the stocks for an hour just to teach you a lesson." Tobe looked petrified and his face was a crimson red colour.

"But instead," Merric continued corking Tobe's ink bottle, and picking it up along with his parchment and quill. "You shall go do your work somewhere else." He thrust the items into Tobe's hands and dragged him out of the headquarters. "Go."

Merric walked off to take care of organising the next patrol.

Tobe stood just outside the door to headquarters staring around at New Hope. He started whilstling a tune and headed off to the infirmary - seeing as Neal was also away. Grabbing a seat on the floor in the corner of the infirmary, he sprawled himself across the floor and uncorked his bottle, just to have one of Neal's assisstants walk up.

She tilted her head kindly and said, "Sorry Tobe, but I can't let you do that here - It's got to be sterile in here."

He corked the bottle and she helped him up from his seat - which wasn't even warm yet. Trying to stay he looked pleadingly at the nurse she merely shook her head and waved him out the door. As he walked out, thouroughly annoyed he whilsted a jig loudly trying to annoy the assistant, who glared at him. What was even worse, was that he didn't notice the mop bucket and tripped over it, spilling dirty water across the floor!

As he saw the assisstant running towards him, he quickly sprinted out of the infirmary. Hidden behind the toilets he sighed, as Loey walked up to talk to him.

"Tobe, what's wrong?" she questioned.

He shook his head angrily. "I keep causing trouble whens I try to do the work Lady Kel set me. It's horrid."

Loey tilted her head thinking. She straightened up and smiled. "I know - go to tha' stables. No one will bother you there."

Tobe stood up smiling and gave her a hug, saying, "Thanks Loey! See ya later."

Quickly, Tobe sprinted across to the stables, barely missing an angry Merric, who had heard about the events in the infirmary. Climbing up to the loft, he cleared the ground of hay, and set up all his ink.

Within half an hour, Tobe was done, and with a wobbly flourish at the bottom of the page he wrote "Tobeiz Booon."

Climbing down from the loft, Loey was standing the doors, calling out, "Tobe, we're having some practice now so we can impress Lady Kel when she gets back. Come On!" She ran away to where the others were, and Tobe was so excited he dropped the items he had in the hay at the bottom of the gate to Hoshi's stall. And ran out.

O-O-O-O-O

Kel looked at him sternly. "And when you got back?"

"My quill was munched up and the parchment was basically all gone 'cept for two really small, tiny bits." Tobe blushed guiltily again. "But, but!" he cried, "The ink bottle was still ok!"

Kel shook her head exasperated. "Tobeis Boon," she groaned. "And why have you not done it again?"

Tobe looked out the window, trying not to make eye contact.

"Tobe!" Kel shouted.

"Well, the scribes won't give me another quill... and, and, I can't 'member what to do." Tobe said hoping for a light punishment.

Kel laughed and pulled out parchment, quill and ink from her desk. "Well then Tobeis, you'll just have to do more today."

He collapsed, groaning.

O-O-O-O-O

_Have spent much time reviewing – so I finally decided to write something._

_Hope you enjoyed my attempt at a short ficlet about Tobe. I would like some feedback on my writing – I'm a bit unsure about it._

_Kelly :)_


End file.
